Death is not Forever
by Sweet'n'Sour
Summary: Hermione falls into despair ( and Draco's arms) after Harry's death. Mystery ensues.
1. Default Chapter

Untitled 

Drops of moonlight glinted off her tears as they fell unrestrained and were absorbed by her Hogwarts robes. Hermione Granger was not one to show her emotions openly. Especially not in a deserted Gryffindor boys common room in the dead of night. She would not have even been there if not for Harry Potter. 

Harry Potter who had fought for seventeen years had fallen. 

"Voldemort was right, Lily had only bought Harry time, seventeen years of borrowed time to be exact", Hermione muttered bitterly to herself. 

Her time alone with her thoughts was dwindling. Tomorrow Sirius would be arriving to watch his Godson's funeral, along wit the entire magical community and oddly enough the Dursley's on Dudley's request. They would make a pilgrimage from Hogwarts to Godric's Hollow to mourn the last of the Potter's and to bury their hero, their messiah. 

Right now there was only one person (besides Harry) that Hermione could bear to speak with. Someone who would not give her sympathy, genuine or otherwise. Ironically someone Harry had despised. 

Draco Malfoy, with his silvery hair, piercing gray eyes, and mocking smile, while sinister and devious was the only person whose emotions for Harry were as strong as hers. Though his was hated and hers was love. So she decided, if he wasn't there tomorrow she would seek him out herself. 

*** 

Hermione woke after only a few hours of sleep in a lumpy armchair in front of the Gryffindor fire, to someone poking her arm. Keeping her eyes closed she prayed it would be Harry, knowing her prayers would go unanswered. She squinted, two huge eyes were very close to hers. She jumped. 

"Dammit Dobby, don't scare me like that." Now she knew how Harry felt each time Dobby had woken him. Hermione winced, thinking about Harry stabbed something deep inside her. 

"Dobby must go now miss." and with a crack Dobby had vanished. 

Hermione stretched lazily, pushed Crookshanks off her lap and scuffled throught the emty common room. Her footsteps echoed slightly making her feel even more alone. 

She climbed the stairs and bent down before her trunk. She lifted the heavy lid and began to rummage around. She pulled out dress after dress formt he magically expandable trunk. One in particular brought tears to her eyes. Her wedding gown. The gown she had not yet worn. 

"If only Voldemort had waited five more days and I would be a widow at age seventeen", she muttered he voice wistful and melancholy. 

She had no time for `if onlys' she had to concentrate on the here and now, on not falling apart completely. In only a short hour she had to be ready to greet Sirius in Hogsmeade. 

After pulling out a few more garments, she settled on a simple black dress. The one Harry had chosen for her to wear to DUmbledore's funeral two years previous. Harry had loved that dress, the way it clung to her. The way the sleeves were so smooth. The way she acted when she wore it. The way it felt against Harry's skin, soft like the fur on Crookshank's underbelly. She thought Dumbledore's funeral, how she had collapsed into HArry's arms, how he had kissed her tenderly, exactly how he smelled. He had smelled so clean and masculine. Like Dial soap, a cool morning, and a faint smoky smell from the common room fire. He had looked so strong, brave, and invincible. He had been unknowing that in a few short years he would be lying in his own grave, an early grave. He stood straight and tall, as he said good-bye to his mentor and the last person between himself and his fate. 

Hermione shook her head. She had to stay focused. Compulsively she reached for a brush and soaked her silky chestnut hair. She stood up and went to the mirror, she smoothed the dark circles under her eyes, put on gray eye shadow and stroked on run-proof mascara. She then applied a nifty little charm to stop her make up from smearing when she cried. She didn't want anyone to know how distraught she was. Harry would have wanted her to be strong. 

*** 

Hermione had no appetite so she Apparated into Hogsmeade from the edge of the Hogwarts grounds, because you can't Apparate or Disapparate inside the grounds. Sirius was waiting for her. No words were exchanged as the walked together to The Three Broomsticks nor as Rosmerta hurried off to get thier order. Actually it wasn't until the check was brought to the table and Hermione slapped down 10 Sickles for Sirius' breakfast that anyone said anything. 

"Hermione, are you going to be all right?"inquired Sirius sincerely. 

"I hope so", she replied. 

"I'm here for you you know." 

"I know." 

"Do you need to talk about this?" 

"No." Hermione managed to choke out. "I am perfectly all right, I am already beginning to heal." 

"OK." said Sirius suspiciously, eyeing her warily. "Well we'd better be getting back to Hogwarts to meet up with the Weasley's. 

Sinking back into her silent stupor Hermione trudged back outside and the pair Disapparated simultaneously. 

*** 

On stepping into the Great Hall Hermione was engulfed into a hug of flaming red hair, nine,(count `em NINE) Weasly's grasped her tightly. When everyone finally let go Mrs. Weasly sobbed out loud: 

"Oh Hermione dear. This must have hit you harder than anyone else. If you need anything at all don't be afraid to ask." 

"Thank You Mrs. Weasly." said Hermione stiffly. She longed for someone who would not be so over-compassionate. She knew what she had to do. 

"I need some time alone, to think." she said hurriedly and rushed away, down the steps to the dungeons. 

The Weasley's looked at each other and shrugged. Run mumbled "girls" under his breath. 

*** 

Hermione galloped down the steps following the path that she and Harry had followed loads of times. She turned one last corner and muttered the password, Mudblood and crept the gap in the cold stone wall. The common room looked empty but she knew of one Slytherin who hadn't gone home to be with his family. Draco. Hermione approached a beat up green armchair with it's back to the door. She grasped the back and spun it around and there sat none other than Malfoy. 

Draco looked up in surprise. 

"How did you get in here Granger?" 

"How'd you think?" 

"I don't know but you'd better get out however you got in." 

"No I need to talk." 

"I don't want to talk to you mudblood." 

Hermione looked into his cold gray eyes and was shocked. Traces of salty tears were in patches under his eyes. Draco quickly reached up with his sleeve and brushed them away. The look on his face told all. 

"Draco, do you miss Harry?" 

"No." he replied quickly. "No. It's not what you think." 

Draco's face hardened. A strange look came over him. Then as if he were forcing the words out of himself he spoke: 

"Hermione could i tell you something and you promise to keep it a secret?" 

"Yes, I"m sure I can." 

"Ok. Please sit down this may take a while." 

"Take all the time you need." 

"Voldemort didn't just swoop down and curse Harry to death. He had careful planning and someone was unknowingly helping him. That was where I came in. I became a Death Eater last summer.", Draco paused and pulled up his sleeve to reveal the Drak Mark. "Anyway my mission was to learn as much about Harry as I could. So I did I follow him everywhere. Then on the night before Voldemort put his plan into action, Voldemort drugged me with Veritaserum. A had no control. I tried to stop the Dark Lord but it was too late, he already had the information he needed. Now all because of me Harry Potter is dead and all I am left with is my remorse." 

Hermione mouthed wordlessly and Draco burst into tears. Hermione was even more shocked, she hadn't seen Draco cry since Buckbeak attacked him in their third year. He crawled forward and looked up into her eyes and said: 

"Please forgive me. All I want is your forgiveness! Free me of my sin!" 

Hermione sank to her knees besides Draco. 

"You have my forgiveness but now you must help me. You must help me to avenge Harry's death." 

Draco just looked at her, he nodded solemnly. A that Hermione pulled him to his feet and embraced him like a brother. There was no need for words but a holy alliance was growing from those who began as the worst of enemies. 

*** 

Harry's funeral went off without a hitch. Draco ashamed to be there wore Harry's old invisibility cloak and watched from afar. Hermione was able to hold back tears and the entire Magical community was jam-packed into the grounds, There seemed to be about 60 times what there was at the Quidditch World Cup. 

Hermione's mind was somewhere else and that was probably a good thing. After the ceremony Professor McGonagall hurried here away from the crowd and Draco followd still invisible. The new Headmistress ushered Hermione into her office and Fawkes was still there. 

Professor McGonagall stood at the window for a moment and then turned to Hermione puffy eyed. 

"I have bad news. Word has traveled that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is now after you. I cannot verify this source but we are taking everything seriously now, in light of this, err, tragedy. My first suggestion is that you disguise yourself as an unregistered Animagus, I know it's against the law but it's the only way. Then I suggest you go and stay with the last Wizarding family that Voldemort would suspect." 

Hermione simply nodded. She could hear Draco rustled around and then felt strong hands on her shoulders, comforting her. 

"Miss Granger please meet me at 9 o'clock tonight in my Transfiguration classroom. I only wish Dumbledore were here. Good Luck." 

*** 

Hermione stepped out of the office breathlessly. She turned to walk up to Gryffindor Tower and Draco appeared inches from her, ivnvisibility cloak in hand. 

"What are we going to do??" Draco asked. 

"That's easy," replied Hermione," go to the library." 

Draco gawked at her retreating back as she skipped up the stairs two at a time. He hurried after her. Hermione burst into the library and shoved Madame Pince out of the way as she strode into the Restricted Section and began snatching titles off the shelves. Madame Pince and Draco stared at her in disbelief. 

"Professor McGonagall will here about this!", Madame Pince called over he shoulder as she rushed out of the library. 

Hermione dumped the books on a table as if she were jsut settling down to do a bit of homework and ran her finger down each column of the table of contents of a musty smelling old book of curses. Draco watched enthralled at how she could concentrate during such a crises. 

"No, no, no." she mumbled these aren't old enough. 

"Old enough for what?" Draco inquired. 

"Hold on I'll be right back." and with that Hermione rushed off among the shelves again and she returned wit a dilapidated book held together with what seemed to be miles of Spellotape. 

"This is it." Hermione opened the book and dust issued from the pages that probably hadn't benn pulled apart for centuries. On the front cover in writing Hermione recognized as Dumbledore's the words: Dated 987 BC 

Then Hermione grabbed a piece of parchment and her quill she began to translate rapidly, Latin into English. After working in silence for half an hour she sighed laid down her quill and looked lovingly at her work. This just might work. 

Draco had held his tongue long enough." What will work?" 

"This," said Hermione," is the spell that Dumbledore was hinting about. He said it would only work in dire emergencies. I think this qualifies. Here read. 

Draco took the parchment and read: 

Martyrdius Reversal 

This spell first used in the age of the Babylonians can be used to bring people back to life within 20 years after a forced Priori Incantatem if at least one of those murdered shared blood with the murderer. This spell also kills the murderer with his own curse. The death of the murderer cannot fail because it is deemed a self-inflicted curse. To perform this spell you need: 

A solid gold cauldron 

A square cubit of the murderer's cloak (no more no less) 

A hair from the one who shared the murderer's blood 

A list of those shown in the Priori Incantatem 

A hair from a person who loves the murderer 

16 bundles of knot grass 

28 Feathers of a phoenix 

1 hair of a sphinx 

3 dragon scales 

1 eyelash of a veela 

Warning: This potion must be brewed by one who assisted the murderer in some way. 

Add everything into the cauldron and bring to a boil. Then the murderer must be tricked into drinking 4 drops of this potion, it does not matter how. 

Once you have completed this properly the martyrs will destroy their murderer and emerge intact with his heart in their hands. 

*** 

After three hours in the dungeons brewing the Potion, Draco was still in need of two ingredients. The hair of someone who had loved Voldemort and Harry's hair. Hermione was snoring with her head on a table, exhausted from stress. Draco hated to wake her, she looked so peaceful. Reluctantly he shook Hermione awake. She stretched and yawned and asked how the potion was coming along. He explained the situation. 

"Well I have a few locks of Harry's hair upstairs. But I don't know anyone who loved Lord Voldemort." she said. 

"Oh I know someone though." said Draco mysteriously. "I'll Apparate there and then come right back I promise." 

Draco kissed her gently and then strode out of the dungeon his silvery hair glinting in the torchlight. Hermione lost herself. Maybe Harry hadn't been the one for her. She had the sinking fear that all along Draco had been the right one. 

Then it dawned on her, Harry would be coming back if she and Draco succeeded. She simply could not fall in love with Draco, she would get to marry Harry after all. 

It seemed as if Hermione had been alone only a split-second when Draco returned with a small glass phial. She could see a few greasy black hairs resting in the bottom. 

"Whose are those?" she inquired. 

"My fathers." said Draco in a rather melancholy fashion. 

"Don't feel bad Draco, there is time to reverse what your father has done wrong through the years. Everything will be OK." and with that Hermione swept across the dungeon and embraced Draco. She felt his heart beat against hers and she felt the same stabbing pain. Why was she falling in love with Draco, the enemy? 

" So on with the plan." Draco began. 

"Yes. Before this lovely little Death Eater celebration party you ask Voldemort if you can clean up his robes. " Hermione stated. 

"Yeah." continued Draco." then when I do I clean all of the sets but fold up one and take it. Then I come back here we finish brewing the potion. Then tonight at the banquet I slip 4 drops into his quarter full goblet and propose a toast so he is sure to drink it. And BOOM!!!" Draco finished, his voice full of eccentric malice. 

*** 

Hermione sat up her face stuck to a piece of parchment. Draco had been prodding her with his finger. Then from behind his back Draco drew out a length of black cloth. Hermione cried with joy and snatched Draco up into an embrace. 

Since a cubit is the ancient Egyptian measurement that is the length of a man's arm from the finger to his elbow. They decided that Draco's arm was almost as long as a full grown man's. Hermione spread out the cloak, marked and then with a simple Severing Charm she cut out the square. 

"Well here goes," Draco slowly dropped the cloak into the bubbling potion. Instantly blue sparks shot in the air. 

"It's exactly like the book says" said Hermione excitedly, she could hardly contain herself. 

"And just in time" said Draco, the Death Eater ball starts in forty-five minutes. I've gotta go get back into my evil wizard garb." 

Hermione watched him retreat from the dungeon, she decided she wanted to be there when Draco delivered the potion. It was time to use the powers no one else knew she had, she, like Sirius and the rest, was an unregistered Animagus. 

She could take the form of a pure white dove at will. And now wa when she needed it most. She would transform then slip in silently with Draco and perch in the rafters and wait. No one will know, I only hope everything will be alright. 

*** 

"Hermione," Draco called as he strode back into the dungeon mask and all " I'll bring Harry back as soon as I can." 

"No need to rush , I'll be there." 

"How Death Eaters only, they'll notice." 

"Yeah but how will they see me?" 

"What do you mean? You're talking crazy again." 

"Watch." Hermione turned gracefully around, there was a flash of goledn light and a snowy dove flew from where Hermione had been and landed on Draco's shoulder with a soft coo. 

"I don't even need to ask, there's not time, Let's go." 

*** 

To Be Continued 

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	2. Floating Away

There was a flash of golden light and a snowy dove flew from where Hermione had been and landed on Draco's shoulder with a soft coo.  
  
"I don't even need to ask, there's not time, Let's go."  
  
"You're right Draco, and even if you did ask I wouldn't tell you!"  
  
Five minutes later found Hermione perched on a wooden, dusty ceiling beam, and Draco dripping potion on the sly into Lord Voldemort's goblet. Draco raised his glass.  
  
"To our Master of Darkness", Malfoy said in a jubilant tone.  
  
"Hear Hear", replied several of his masked counterparts.  
  
Then the moment Hermione was waiting for, Lord Voldemort brought his glass to his lips and gulped all of it, every last drop. Both she and Draco waited with baited breath.  
  
Then there was a gust of wind, and as if in slow motion the dark lord's crystal goblet shattered on the frigid stone tile. A shriek ensued. Voldemort disappeared in a wisp of violet smoke. And standing in a circle was everyone Voldemort had ever killed ... minus one.  
  
Hermione's heart fell and with it her little bird body plummeted. Luckily her feathers broke her fall and she landed with a thud, in a little heap. With a sigh of anguish, she returned to her human state to face the truth. Nothing could ever bring Harry back, nothing she had ever done or would ever do. It was over.  
  
Hermione stepped into the circle and stooped down. There was a faint glimmer of gold on the floor. She reached for it. It was the earing she had begged Harry not to get. And emblazoned on it were words that had not been there before "All my Love - from H to H".  
  
This strengthened her. She knew what Harry meant. He loved her, and he wanted her to be happy. His death had sparked a romance Hermione could never have predicted. And as the circle parted Hermione could see only one person, the man for her, Draco Malfoy. A look of pure emotion was on his face. Warm and caring, the look of love.  
  
"The library?" Draco asked taking her hand.  
  
"The library." Hermione smiled for the first time in a long time.  
  
***  
  
Now sixty years later Hermione is a published author. She has learned something about magic. The way it works under certain circumstances is not discernible beforehand. Also the line between good and evil is hazy, and many things are borderline.  
  
Hermione and Draco lived happily ever after, having one son with jet- black hair, named Harry. Lily and James both committed suicide from grief over why Harry. The Death Eaters disbanded without their leader, though evil still lurks on Knockturn Alley. It is still a mystery what happened to Harry and the Martyrdius Reversal. It is doubtful that anyone will every know.  
  
Some say it was Lily's sacrifice. Others argue that Harry's death was meant to be and that his grave was timely. An explanation will wait until another like him comes to uncover the truth. Until then the old women will drink their sherry in the Leaky Cauldron and gossip about what became of the boy with the scar who gave his all for them and got death in return. Hermione now wears Harry's earring. She will wear it to her grave. We can only hope that by the time Draco reaches his judgment day that he will be at peace and reconciled with Harry. 


End file.
